Divination Club: Term XXIV, Activity 4: The End of the World As We Know It

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It is December 21, 2012, and you have finished at Hogwarts for Christmas. You have been listening to Muggles in your vicinity inanely prattling on about how the world was meant to end today, apparently because the Mayans forgot to change their calendar, or something like that. Amused, you take a break from your homework and start exploring some of the more imaginative portentious prophecies of mankind.

Activity Name: The End of the World As We Know It
Deadline: Sunday, 30th December @ 11:59PM UTC
Points: Participation Only, 10 points
Details: With the world supposedly ending today, we look at some of the more colourful prophecies of doom that have been made in the past. Trivia quiz, with 1 point per correct answer. Bonus items may not exceed earned points.


OK, so! Still with us? Cool.

So, today is supposed to be the Mayan apocalypse. You know, that end-of-the-world prediction that the Mayans never actually made? Should you happen to survive the holiday season, you might want something to take your mind off things. And what better way to negate the feelings of impending doom than.... a quiz about impending doom???! :D

Below is a trivia quiz. Ten questions. You get a point for each one you get right. Comments are screened, and there's no prize for coming first or anything, so take your time. There's a fair mix of history, mythology and/or pseudoscience involved with some of these, so feel free to have a bit of a read: I found it interesting to research. :)

01) What is the name of the large heavenly body that was supposedly expected to collide with the Earth as part of our 2012 Mayan cataclysm?

02) After predicting the world would end in October 1992, this Korean Pastor was arrested for embezzling over $4 million from his cult of 10,000 members, many of whom committed suicide once the prophecy failed to materialise.

03) This woman, born in April 1750, predicted she would give birth to the Messiah, and this would herald the end of the world.

04) According to Numerologists, what was the devilishly apocalyptic significance of the year 1998?

05) What Hindu expression, translating roughly from Sanskrit as "the Age of Vice", describes the last of the four stages of the world, in which we currently residing?

06) The Millenium Bug fiasco was estimated to have cost world governments approximately $300 billion to ward off. What problem may cause peril to 32-bit date systems later this century?

07) What alleged celestial omen, recorded in Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead caused ancient Egyptian astronomers concern when it happened in the skies some time in 9792BC?

08) Islam states three periods before the Day of Judgment. The first began with the death of Muhammad, and the second befan with the passing of the Companions. What (or who) heralds the third and final period?

09) In Uganda, four men and a woman headed a cult proclaiming the world would end in 1999; they are believed responsible for a massacre that killed 778 people, including 530 in the Kunangu Church. What mathematics prize was the female co-founder awarded in absentia in 2011?

10) The Yorkshire Witch was executed for fraud and murder in 1809. She had claimed to have a hen that laid eggs with prophetic messages foretelling doomsday. How was her egg-scam discovered?

Here's a textbox for your sins:

01) 02) 03) 04) 05) 06) 07) 08) 09) 10) Name/House

Remember to ensure your name is on the Roster if you wish to earn bonus item points! Also, your bonus items cannot exceed what you got right here: if you only got 7 out of 10, you cannot earn more than 7 bonus points.


_{The future will look bleak if you forget to sign the ROSTER!}